Planting Soybeans in Smaller Rows Produces Higher Yields

MADISON, Wis.Soybean yield potential in the Northeast United States is 15-percent greater when planted in  7.5-inch rows compared to when planted with a corn planter in 30-inch rows, according to new research published in the January/February 2011 issue of Agronomy Journal.

To save on time and expenses, some farmers in colder regions plant soybeans with a corn planter in 30-inch rows instead of 7.5-inch rows with the regularly used grain drill. Researchers at Cornell University studied the response of two soybean varieties in row widths of 7.5, 15 and 30 inches at four seeding rates in a study funded by a USDA Hatch grant.

They measured emergence rates of soybean, growth, yield components, and seed yield of soybean to determine if soybeans can grow rapidly enough in 30-inch rows compared to smaller rows during the northern latitudes shorter growing season. They discovered that soybeans grown in 30-inch rows had approximately 15-percent lower biomass than soybeans grown in 7.5 inch rows. The lower biomass contributed to 14-percent fewer pods, 9-percent fewer seeds, and 15-percnet lower harvest yield.